Croatia is blessed with unspoilt natural wonders, and the gleaming jewel in its crown is Plitvice Lakes National Park, a Unesco World Heritage Site. Here, wooden pathways lead you around terraced lakes, swirling pools and waterfalls, and hiking trails invite you to explore meadows and forested foothills that are home to owls, brown bears, wolves, lynx and deer.

As well as eight national parks, Croatia has 12 nature parks. Dinara Nature Park in the Dalmatian hinterland, close to Knin, is its newest. Home to the highest peak in the country, Dinara, this rugged landscape offers countless opportunities for hiking and climbing. Be sure to go with a guide if you plan to climb to the summit of Dinara.

Gentler options weave around the foothills, which are particularly glorious in spring and summer. See wildflowers and rare butterflies – and look out for one of Europe’s largest birds, the griffon vulture, as well as golden eagles taking to the cloudless skies. This lofty nature park also has the sources of various rivers, including the Krka and the Cetina. The latter springs from a deep blue chasm known as the Eye of Dalmatia due to its shape and the striking iris-like appearance of its waters.

Keen nature-lovers and hikers shouldn’t miss Velebit Nature Park in the Velebit mountain range (Croatia’s largest), which covers two national parks. Brown bears, grey wolves and Eurasian lynx prowl this extraordinary wilderness, alongside smaller carnivorous creatures such as the endangered Balkan snow vole. The park’s solitary slopes are scattered with old shepherd’s dwellings and it has a high-altitude botanic garden with rare endemic fauna.

From majestic mountains to marshlands, Lonjsko Polje Nature Park is a vast stretch of swampland in central Croatia’s Posavina region. Running along the Sava River, its waterways are filled with rare and protected fish, insects, reptiles and mammals, and bird species including white storks and white-tailed eagles. The region is also known for its traditional breed of horse, the posavski, and deep-rooted rural traditions. Don’t miss a visit to Čigoč, declared the first European Village of Storks, from spring to late summer when the white storks arrive to nest on its traditional wooden houses and feed in the fertile waterways.

More rare birds can be spotted by eagle-eyed visitors to the ancient forests of Mljet National Park, which covers the entire western third of one of Dalmatia’s most southerly isles. Known as the Green Island, Mljet is swathed in verdant forests of Aleppo pine and holm oaks, olive groves and vineyards, and surrounded by iridescent blue waters.

With no cars allowed in the national park, this country is best explored by bike. Spend your time pedalling around pine-scented trails, searching for wildlife. The eagle owl, honey buzzard and peregrine falcon are among the bird species found here while fallow deer and wild boar roam the woods. The park also has two saltwater lakes, Veliko and Malo Jezero (Big and Small Lake), which has the tiny islet of St Mary with a church and 12th-century Benedictine monastery on it. They’re connected by a channel where you can snorkel to see rare Adriatic marine life, including stony coral and Mediterranean fan mussels.

Make memories in Croatia

Thanks to its sprawling coastline, sprinkled with 1,244 islands and basking in a blissful Mediterranean climate, Croatia has countless places and ways to spend your precious summer holiday. Discover the best things to do in this unique destination, from natural wonders to active adventures. For trip inspiration and to learn more, visit croatia.hr